Friday, March 31, 2017

They did it! The Saint Peter's Peacocks eeked out a 62-61 victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi in Texas tonight. Trevis Wyche hit the first of two free throws with 0.9 seconds to play and intentionally missed the second to put the ball in play off a crazy hop which only got the Corpus Christi Islanders a long throw that never came close. The CIT title is Saint Peter's first postseason title for their basketball program. Philly senior Quadir Welton was named tournament MVP with another double-double tonight on 12 points and 13 rebounds. Saint Peter's just didn't make the mistakes the Islanders did in the clutch. Saint Peter's refused to give away a breakway layup with 5 minutes to play and blocked the shot. A few minutes later an Islander player broke in all alone for either a dunk or a layup, we'll never know, the ball wound up out of bounds. All in all though, the best team won the tournament. The Peacocks had to win 3 road games out of the 4 it took to win with two of the trips being to Texas.

This can only help Coach John Dunne and the Peacocks though they will lose a lot of senior talent and leadership. Here's to next year's banner hanging and this spring's parade!

What else is there to talk about tonight Jersey City and the surround? It's been raining since dawn and it just keeps getting worse. Tonight's Music Series is hereby dedicated to the rain and all the great music dedicated to rain or rain as a metaphor. Dozens of songs that come to mind but we've only got three and for example while Johnny hearts the song 'Purple Rain' that was played a lot recently for obvious reasons so we'll put that in our proverbial pocket for another night.

Is there a more haunting video about the rain than The Eurythmics 'Here Comes the Rain Again'? Feel free to think on that while we kick things off with Annie and Dave and a little lighthouse keeping.

Always a welcome friend on the Music Series, Supertramp. Johnny loves them as they wrote very interesting songs, tried a Coleco hand held football game sound for a song effect in 'The Logical Song' and as long-time Music Series fans know, Johnny loves bands that make great use of backup vocals. Supertramp sure meets that requirement. Supertramp with 'It's Raining Again' keeping our spirits afloat in a soggy Jersey City tonight.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

This time tomorrow night Saint Peter's will be paying in their first national championship of any kind when they take on Texas A&M Corpus Christi in Texas for the CIT Basketball tournament title. The Peacocoks played a complete game last night in the semi-final dispatching Furman with ease. The Peacocks bolted to 17-1, and 34-8 leads before Furman got within 12 to begin the second half which only spurred Saint Peter's on their own 19-4 game clinching run. The Peacocks rained 3 balls on the helpless Paladins, something we hope they do again tomorrow night. The Peacocks never quit brining their calling card hard nosed defense which made the Furman comeback they much tougher. Quadir Welton had 11 points and 16 rebounds to control the inside and squeeze the life out of the Furman Five. Nnamdi Enechionyia scored a season-high 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting while Chazz Patterson and Antwon Portley scored 13 points apiece. The 13 points were a season-high for Patterson, this year's MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.

This is a great local story isn't it? This is a confident team playing their best ball in three years. The thing is, so is Corpus Christi. The title game should be a good one as both teams come in hot. If we know one thing, Saint Peter's defense will battle all night long and the Peacocks can win low scoring as well as high scoring games. Johnny would take either so long as it's a win and a National Championship.

Johnny's Red Wings lost tonight and with Boston and Toronto winning, the Wings 25 year consecutive playoff streak came to an end. Let Johnny put that into perspective. The last time the Wings didn't make the playoffs, the internet hadn't debuted yet. George H. W. Bush was early in his Presidency. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman still worked for the NBA.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Saint Peter's Basketball, The Pride of Jersey City®, plays at home in the semi-final of the national CIT tournament vs the Furman Paladins Wednesday night at 9PM. Let's turn out for Saint Peter's Jersey CIty, see if we can't get this tea, to bring us a national championship.

Monday, March 27, 2017

Johnny can be a rough cuss. No, really Johnny, we uh, heh, never noticed. He has certain opinions that he's probably not going to meet someone halfway on some, one being abatements and spending. Do understand when Johnny digs in his heels on the budget for the future; he grew up on welfare and food stamps and sans a generous set of grandparents might have been homeless. That's true. When Johnny talks budgeting and making sure things are set for the future as we navigate the now he means it with a passion. 3/4 of the buildings are now abated. You know he holds mayors and governors and councilpeople to account by name. This is such a story. Johnny has held out Candice Osborne as someone he thinks votes too friendly with Mayor Fulop on monetary matters. He's gotten emails from her after certain articles with oftentimes solid pushback. We talk. It' s not personal. Smart people get that.

Last Friday Johnny was taking pictures of his dog looking at the park being rebuilt he's often spoken on. That was until he heard a scream and a car locking it's brakes and he whirled around to take an image of a Mercedes SUV being selfish and turning right onto a one way (the wrong way) to then turn left into the BJ's parking lot, (a distance of about 30 yards) to get back out to Washington and avoid going out to Marin. A little girl was almost hit and killed as the Mercedes gave itself no wiggle room going the wrong way and just missed two cars and missing the girl by a foot and a half to two feet (note car to Mercedes left, almost unseen):

Johnny posted this pic to the city and Councilwoman Osborne on Twitter. She was immediately upset by it and within a few minutes she was asking to meet and take time from her weekend and do a walk around so she could better explain to T&E what was happening and suggestions on how to fix it. Offering her personal weekend time when one of the residents in her ward was put in harm's way. That's the best response you can get Jersey City. Let me get personally involved. Weekends being what they are and since Johnny lives closer to the intersection than the Councilwoman he went over and took a full video of how it happens, where the danger is at and his own suggestions. That video, through the councilwoman, is being used today to make a part of the city safer and that's a great weekend story, no?

Sunday, March 26, 2017

We'll be able to start tomorrow out on a good story that shows a great effort to bolster city resident safety by a city council member. Johnny's gonna get back to his birthday weekend but yes, make sure to start Monday off with us on a good note.

How about those Saint Peter's Peacocks? They moved onto the semi-final of the CIT basketball tournament tonight with a 49-44 win over Texas State. Seniors Quadir Welton and Trevis Wyche messed with Texas with 9 points and 12 rebounds and 11 points respectively. Peacocks guard Antwon Portley, ironically from Texas, hit a massive three point dagger ball with about five and a half minutes remaining.

The Furman Paladins also won their quarterfinal game so they too will be in the semis. The CIT doesn't use the familiar bracket and number seeding like most are familiar with in the NCAA big dance so just whom Saint Peter's will play next is just not knowable. It'll have to be announced.

Friday, March 24, 2017

It's Johnny's birthday weekend and so the rules are out the window and so we'll have us FOUR big songs tonight. B-sides and shit Johnny wants to hear. No surprise we'll kick it off with Neko Case (and Her Boyfriends) with the words etched on the handle of Johnny's gun, 'Mood to Burn Bridges'

Johnny's birthday weekend blowout continues with a band you'd love to play your birthday party. Funny side note, Johnny has spent so much time in his life listening to the Budokan album there is no better (and Johnny means this) air drummer to this album anywhere. Bun E. Carlos hit the skins for a reason. He's great. Don't give Johnny drumsticks to hit drums with, it'd be a red hot disaster. But if you or someone you know is in a Cheap Trick air cover band and your drummer quit because he got a life, you let Johnny know. 'Lookout' up next on the jukebox of life.

The council passed Steve Fulop's magical no tax increase again and we're pretty much basing our budget outlook now on tourism at local hotels. What do we expect from Mr. Goldman Sachs and his Merry Band of YesFolk? Let's not plan for, and or save for the future because the good economic times, they always last. A whole 700K for a budget of 572 million. Yeah, sure, OK. Lost in this is the uptick in municipal fines. Is Jersey City starting to head down the Ferguson Mo. road and increasing revenue in the poorer neighborhoods for annoyance fines? We'd need to see that broken out as to what this climb in fines is for and what part of Jersey City it's increasing in. A $2.2 million increase in municipal court fines is a lot in one year, no? yet,

Once again the fact abatements are due to come rolling off the books did nothing to stop council from rezoning and almost begging to set up abatements for the old Emerson Radio Factory.

The massive, five-story former factory, now a storage warehouse at 16th and Coles streets, would be part of a roughly 60-acre redevelopment zone in an industrial area of the city that sits in the shadow of the New Jersey Turnpike, blocks from the Holland Tunnel.The plan also requires the developer of the Emerson factory to build a new, 20,000-square-foot public space that the city says will be a new Downtown police station (so how is that a public space?). Meanwhile, an existing parking lot between 13th and 14th streets just west of Coles Street could eventually become a park (there is currently a 20-year lease on the property). COULD.

The developer chosen to rehab the old factory would have to keep that structure intact but would be allowed to build 26-story high-rises around it. Current zoning limits height in the area to five stories.

There you go. We DARE any city council member right now to say they'll not vote for abatements for this (AND the Kushner/KRE/KABR horseshit properties). Do it. Be the hero. Say you're done pissing taxpayer money away willy nilly. Jersey City real estate can stand on it's own. Try it and see. Let the developer build it on their dime and keep the profits and pay proper taxes on it. Does council realize we make more money this way? They won't ever know unless they show some spine and try.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Well, the gang that never met money they couldn't spend did it again last night only on a scale SO GRAND it defies belief.

You know the story, Liberty Science Center (they of the soft-porn "science" nights) wants a new science-based school (SciTech Scity,) on their land but the problem was this land, worth millions, was something they'd never afford so Steve Fulop and 6 council members gave it to them. Actually, Johnny's wrong on that and supporters bristle at calling the millions in real estate a "giveaway."

The city paid 10$. Yep, a Hamilton for land worth millions. Fail. Yes, really, ten bucks. That's their level of contempt for you taxpayer. They just gave away millions you were part owner of. Forget the fact we're being slow-walked to a Reval and here's more property that won't be collecting money.

The supporters claim, this school will bring kids in from all over falling over themselves to get in. The claim this one school will transform Jersey City educationally. That's kind of the problem isn't it? Jersey City kids, those of normal means won't see this school unless they drive by. This school (Hear Johnny now and believe him later) is not for kids from Greenville or The Heights or Journal Square, it's for the richies and well-connected. Make bet on that.

But Johnny's isn't this slated to be a "public school?" Yes, suuuuure it is. The only public school our city council expects TURN A PROFIT!:City officials have argued that the deal isn't a giveaway, citing a revenue-sharing portion of its agreement with SciTech Scity. Once the complex turns a profit beyond $78 million, the city would share in the profits, initially getting 50 percent and, once the value of the city's land is paid off, 20 percent.

A school complex, turn a profit. $78 million. WTF?!

This was one miserable deal that NOW Jersey City can't control once the JCRA gets the property. Seems only Ward C Councilman Michael Yun noticed that:

"...once the land is transferred to the JCRA and "it is completely out of our control.""The JCRA, their own board members, (are) not elected by people but appointed by the mayor. They're going to do what the mayor asks them," Yun said.
There are city council members that need primary opponents. Good solid citzens who realize planning for the long-term beats panicked giveaways. Thank the lord Frank Gajewski isn't running again. A complete waste of a seat. Daniel Rivera, champion of cars in yards, needs a serious wake-up call. Rubber stamp is no way to go through life. Candice Osborne, who actually said last night this deal won't make dime one STILL voted for it. There's some solid thinking. Remember this about Osborne, she'll vote for anyone's abatement or construction variance -- except those in HER own Paulus Hook neighborhood. Rolando Lavarro, who sees Fulop as his meal ticket will never do anything to upset the mayor because for some reason Lavarro thinks he'll be mayor after Fulop. Great he's voting like it's 2021 on issues today. Also, remember when Lavarro said he was going to curb spending? Yeah, he's holding the city back and needs to go. Joyce Watterman has been failing JC taxpayers for far too long, she needs a swift exit through a side door too. Jermaine Robinson, we're watching you. You voted poorly last night but it's just too early to see if you're going to be a yes man like the rest listed here, but we're watching you. You blew it last night Mr. Robinson.

So, Jersey City taxpayers, unless you take matters into your own hands, by either running a primary campaign against one of these rubber stamp council members, supporting a primary opponent or simply voting against those in their seat now, you're at least able to say you, if nobody else, is looking out for the long-term financial health of Jersey City. Look at their track records, it's not going to happen with Fulop, Rivera, Lavarro, Gajewski, and Osborne in their current jobs.

It's not. We're going to give the Jersey City Desk famous last word to Daniel Sexton former Jersey City attorney under Bret Schundler. When it comes to long-term planning and why it's important:Daniel Sexton, a former city attorney under Bret Schundler, called the land transfer "scandalous.""You saw it's swampland. Well so was Newport, swampland. So was Harsimus Cove ... so was Liberty National," Sexton said. "This is a valuable asset."

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

They went ahead and gave away millions in free real estate (and a loan) to build a new public school next to Liberty State Park at Steve Fulop's behest. Ya know, if we'd fucking commit to taking a fixed amount of PILO--wait, that's for tomorrow...

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Say then, did you know The Pogues did a fabulous summation of the poem just below called 'Lorca's Novena' which was used by Joe Strummer in Grosse Pointe Blank? Hint, if you click the link to YouTube you'll get a running tally of the best lines from the movie.

See, and I saw a beast rise up out of the sea...having seven heads and ten horns.
And they worshipped the beast saying, ´Who is like the beast?
Who is able to make war with him?"

Our demographics with the poetry crowd is off the charts and so, to that end tonight Johnny will share his favorite poem. In 9th grade his English teacher gave a poetry assignment for the class to read their favorite poems. Most were rhyming agony, or cheap throwaways found on any playground. A couple used the same Robert Frost "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening" so we all got to hear that twice. When Johnny's turn came he read this, still his favorite poem. Having a mother with a Masters Degree in English Johnny was introduced to literature at like 18 months. It's not your average 9th grade poem for poem day. Johnny wasn't your average kid.

Federico García Lorca

Lament for Ignacio Sanchez Mejias

1. Cogida and death

At five in the afternoon.
It was exactly five in the afternoon.
A boy brought the white sheet
at five in the afternoon.
A frail of lime ready prepared
at five in the afternoon.
The rest was death, and death alone.

The wind carried away the cottonwool
at five in the afternoon.
And the oxide scattered crystal and nickel
at five in the afternoon.
Now the dove and the leopard wrestle
at five in the afternoon.
And a thigh with a desolated horn
at five in the afternoon.
The bass-string struck up
at five in the afternoon.
Arsenic bells and smoke
at five in the afternoon.
Groups of silence in the corners
at five in the afternoon.
And the bull alone with a high heart!
At five in the afternoon.
When the sweat of snow was coming
at five in the afternoon,
when the bull ring was covered with iodine
at five in the afternoon.
Death laid eggs in the wound
at five in the afternoon.
At five in the afternoon.
At five o'clock in the afternoon.

A coffin on wheels is his bed
at five in the afternoon.
Bones and flutes resound in his ears
at five in the afternoon.
Now the bull was bellowing through his forehead
at five in the afternoon.
The room was iridiscent with agony
at five in the afternoon.
In the distance the gangrene now comes
at five in the afternoon.
Horn of the lily through green groins
at five in the afternoon.
The wounds were burning like suns
at five in the afternoon.
At five in the afternoon.
Ah, that fatal five in the afternoon!
It was five by all the clocks!
It was five in the shade of the afternoon!

2. The Spilled Blood

I will not see it!

Tell the moon to come,
for I do not want to see the blood
of Ignacio on the sand.

I will not see it!

The moon wide open.
Horse of still clouds,
and the grey bull ring of dreams
with willows in the barreras.

I will not see it!

Let my memory kindle!
Warm the jasmines
of such minute whiteness!

I will not see it!

The cow of the ancient world
passed har sad tongue
over a snout of blood
spilled on the sand,
and the bulls of Guisando,
partly death and partly stone,
bellowed like two centuries
sated with threading the earth.
No.
I will not see it!

Ignacio goes up the tiers
with all his death on his shoulders.
He sought for the dawn
but the dawn was no more.
He seeks for his confident profile
and the dream bewilders him
He sought for his beautiful body
and encountered his opened blood
Do not ask me to see it!
I do not want to hear it spurt
each time with less strength:
that spurt that illuminates
the tiers of seats, and spills
over the cordury and the leather
of a thirsty multitude.
Who shouts that I should come near!
Do not ask me to see it!

His eyes did not close
when he saw the horns near,
but the terrible mothers
lifted their heads.
And across the ranches,
an air of secret voices rose,
shouting to celestial bulls,
herdsmen of pale mist.
There was no prince in Sevilla
who could compare to him,
nor sword like his sword
nor heart so true.
Like a river of lions
was his marvelous strength,
and like a marble toroso
his firm drawn moderation.
The air of Andalusian Rome
gilded his head
where his smile was a spikenard
of wit and intelligence.
What a great torero in the ring!
What a good peasant in the sierra!
How gentle with the sheaves!
How hard with the spurs!
How tender with the dew!
How dazzling the fiesta!
How tremendous with the final
banderillas of darkness!

But now he sleeps without end.
Now the moss and the grass
open with sure fingers
the flower of his skull.
And now his blood comes out singing;
singing along marshes and meadows,
sliden on frozen horns,
faltering soulles in the mist
stumbling over a thousand hoofs
like a long, dark, sad tongue,
to form a pool of agony
close to the starry Guadalquivir.
Oh, white wall of Spain!
Oh, black bull of sorrow!
Oh, hard blood of Ignacio!
Oh, nightingale of his veins!
No.
I will not see it!
No chalice can contain it,
no swallows can drink it,
no frost of light can cool it,
nor song nor deluge og white lilies,
no glass can cover mit with silver.
No.
I will not see it!

3. The Laid Out Body

Stone is a forehead where dreams grieve
without curving waters and frozen cypresses.
Stone is a shoulder on which to bear Time
with trees formed of tears and ribbons and planets.

I have seen grey showers move towards the waves
raising their tender riddle arms,
to avoid being caught by lying stone
which loosens their limbs without soaking their blood.

For stone gathers seed and clouds,
skeleton larks and wolves of penumbra:
but yields not sounds nor crystals nor fire,
only bull rings and bull rings and more bull rings without walls.

Now, Ignacio the well born lies on the stone.
All is finished. What is happening! Contemplate his face:
death has covered him with pale sulphur
and has place on him the head of dark minotaur.

All is finished. The rain penetrates his mouth.
The air, as if mad, leaves his sunken chest,
and Love, soaked through with tears of snow,
warms itself on the peak of the herd.

What is they saying? A stenching silence settles down.
We are here with a body laid out which fades away,
with a pure shape which had nightingales
and we see it being filled with depthless holes.

Who creases the shroud? What he says is not true!
Nobody sings here, nobody weeps in the corner,
nobody pricks the spurs, nor terrifies the serpent.
Here I want nothing else but the round eyes
to see his body without a chance of rest.

Here I want to see those men of hard voice.
Those that break horses and dominate rivers;
those men of sonorous skeleton who sing
with a mouth full of sun and flint.

Here I want to see them. Before the stone.
Before this body with broken reins.
I want to know from them the way out
for this captain stripped down by death.

I want them to show me a lament like a river
which will have sweet mists and deep shores,
to take the body of Ignacio where it looses itself
without hearing the double planting of the bulls.

Loses itself in the round bull ring of the moon
which feigns in its youth a sad quiet bull,
loses itself in the night without song of fishes
and in the white thicket of frozen smoke.

I don't want to cover his face with handkerchiefs
that he may get used to the death he carries.
Go, Ignacio, feel not the hot bellowing
Sleep, fly, rest: even the sea dies!

4. Absent Soul

The bull does not know you, nor the fig tree,
nor the horses, nor the ants in your own house.
The child and the afternoon do not know you
because you have dead forever.

The shoulder of the stone does not know you
nor the black silk, where you are shuttered.
Your silent memory does not know you
because you have died forever

The autumn will come with small white snails,
misty grapes and clustered hills,
but no one will look into your eyes
because you have died forever.

Because you have died for ever,
like all the dead of the earth,
like all the dead who are forgotten
in a heap of lifeless dogs.

Nobody knows you. No. But I sing of you.
For posterity I sing of your profile and grace.
Of the signal maturity of your understanding.
Of your appetite for death and the taste of its mouth.
Of the sadness of your once valiant gaiety.

It will be a long time, if ever, before there is born
an Andalusian so true, so rich in adventure.
I sing of his elegance with words that groan,
and I remember a sad breeze through the olive trees.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Safety was not a big thing when I was growing up. A seat belt was something that got in the way: 'Ma, the seat belt is digging into my back.' 'Stuff it down into the seat. And roll those windows up, you're letting the smoke out'
-- Margaret Smith

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Chuck Berry, the father of rock and roll. Rock was largely built on his guitar riffs and boy was he a storyteller. For years songwriters followed his lead on writing about cars, young love, awkward race and social situations (as in this song) and the freedoms of being young.

Impossible to pick a favorite but here's one Johnny has always held in high regard, 'Too Much Monkey Business'

Sorry for the delay on the Music Series tonight. Johnny had to watch his MSU Spartans turn the Miami Hurricanes into the Tropical Depressions in the NCAA Tournament.

We've had such fun all day enjoying all this great great Irish music of all styles. Lucky us we get a Music Series tonight to expound even further into the sounds of the Emerald Isle. Let's get going with Mr. Van Morrison and the standard, 'Moondance' on St. Patrick's Day 2017.

Yes, Johnny is well aware of the many meltdowns Ms. O'Connor has had and rather than pile on with the jokes maybe her mental health should be fully addressed. Just a thought.

This song is haunting and brilliant and that is the fiddle player from the Waterboys you'll hear at the end that may well have you putting this one on repeat. This song is 'I Am Stretched On Your Grave'

Putting the finishing touches on the very Irish portion of our St. Patrick's Day musical celebration are The Waterboys and the very Celtic sounding and easy on the ears 'Fisherman's Blues' from all the way back in 1988.

No, it wasn't the big NCAA dance you're seeing on your teevee today or the NIT you'll see on ESPN on off nights at 2am. There's also a CIT, a third tourney for teams that just don't want the season to end. Tonight, the Pride of Jersey City® defeated Albany 59-55.

This is St. Peter's first NCAA post season win since a 1980 NIT win. Congratulations Peacocks!

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Why is it there are never tickets or fines issued to big developers who don't clear their sidewalks though they have all the money to do so. Johnny pointed out on Twitter that slumlord Jared Kushner hasn't done dick to clear his sidewalks downtown, and Washington between First St and Bay St. just sit untouched by Lloyd Goldman. Goldman is a repeat offender unless of course the city is now chipping in and doing his work for him.

It's bad enough when small property owners don't take care of their sidewalks, and the one and two-off unoccupied properties that the city has to handle and can never seem to catch up to these clown have the money to get it done. It's your safety they don't care about, remember this next time they want a tax abatement and tell you what great citizens they'll be in the future. They have a history to draw on right now and it ain't good.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Kind of a bummer the snow levels were so down at the end. Johnny and his dog really were hoping for more. Here's an animation Johnny made on a 6AM dog walk through PAD towards Columbus Dr. towards the river to get a feel for what had already accumulated when the snow and snow alone was really coming down.

Johnny had the first flakes officially at 12:03AM. He's a geek about shit like that. You ladies out there who think Johnny's such a dreamboat, well, there is a dark side. Back with you as events warrant.

Do we have your attention. As much as Johnny and the crew like to have fun with big snowstorms, Tuesday is serious business. Accuweather, Wunderground, our good friend Weather Willy, and the National Weather Service have all begun calling for huge piles of snow and blizzard conditions. One forecasting service is saying, well, it's incredible. The call right now is 14-20" but some are easing that upwards of 24" inches with that one service calling for areas of northwest New Jersey to get 30+ inches of snow. All this snow (NWS has NYC pegged for 18 currently") will be accompanied with 30-40mph winds with gusts of 50-60 possible. It will be a LONG storm. Starting very late Monday night and ending very late Tuesday night.

If you need to set up care for a senior or older relative, or get to the store tomorrow instead of with the panic shoppers on Monday, make your plan on working from home Tuesday or just get a strategic parking spot, now is the time.

'Land of 1000 Dances' is sure to get you moving around. A unique song, this, when it comes to cataloging such matters. Both nomenclatures, 'Land of 1000 Dances' or 'Land of a Thousand Dances' is correct. Just a little factoid from Johnny to you.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Last night, in just 4 short years passed his 70th tax abatement via city council. We'd also like to point out though Mr. Fulop is at 70 abatements and counting, he couldn't have done it alone. Let's face facts, you don't get to 70 in 4 years without a rubberstamp council. They can yowl and pule at this name but look at the numbers. Like Mary Chapin Carpenter once sang, "The stars might lie but the numbers never do."

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

You didn't think we were done discussing FC Barcelona did you? Johnny thinks a small-time meme went viral today by adding just a touch of music to a clip. This is only on a bazillion clips of this goal on the Twitter right now with this music. Titanic sports meme ready for takeoff.

His teams have not done well. Not at all. His Michigan State football team chundered down to a 3-9 record one year after winning the B1G and going to the college football playoff. His usually rock solid MSU hoops team has been iffy at best. Johnny's a Browns fan so there's enough anguish to go around. Saddest of all though, his beloved Red Wings will miss the playoffs for the first time in 25 years this season (Plus the loss of owner Mike Ilitch and icon Gordie Howe) and along with life's little slights and ills thrown in, its been a pretty lean time for pick-me-ups.

Thank you FC Barcelona. Johnny is on cloud 9 after this incredible, European rocking and historic comeback from a 4-0 deficit to Paris St. Germain to come back and win the tie (we call them home and home series here) on aggregate 6-5 with the winner coming on a last second chance. Don't ever say sports can't affect your mood. Johnny needed this from mighty Barca.

...Mayor Fulop and Jersey City will now just hire an attorney to fight any plan to make Jersey City pay it's fair share of school funding since there always seems to be enough for tax break after tax break for friends of Fulop and those get rubber stamped by city council. Jersey City taxpayers pay more for the inevitable change that will be forced upon our fair city by the New Jersey legislature unless responsible people somehow figure this out at 280 Grove St.

And when we say "upkeep" we mean police patrols after a troubling spike in drunken fights and other improper behavior during warmer months. While Terrence T. McDonald reports when most businesses and restaurants were approached about tossing into the hat for off duty cops to patrol around the plaza, some thought it was a bit of a shakedown.

If you follow this link you'll find out who doesn't like the idea to chip in, and which Jersey City council member said "y'all."

Saturday, March 4, 2017

23 years ago Johnny choked up hearing of the passing of the great John Candy. A lot of people may just think he's another in the long line of large male comics. He was soooooooo much more. His acting touched people, he was never a punchline and by all accounts one of the most generous stars you could ever meet. His comedy had depth and feeling. John Candy, the world could sure use you today.

It's just before 9AM on the Eastern Seaboard and half of Hoboken is probably already drunk as Lepre-Con is back. While some of the more bawdy actions from say 3-4 years ago have been scaled back, one gets the feeling it just needs a really nice 65º day for it to maybe pop off again.

That will not be today. LepreConners will be inside most or all of the day as baby, it's cold out there and by tonight, well, it'll be colder yet.

This one should pass unnoticed by most police blotters hopefully, thanks in large part to Mother O' Nature.

When you paid Zoltron at the door to get in here to hear all this great music tonight you--wait, what what WHAT?

He let you in free...

There was supposed to be a cover charge tonight because we had to count Maniacs. When you pay for 10,000 we feel you should get them all. Not a few smoking dope in the parking lot either. Like, get in there and perform hippie, people paid for this. Well, ok then, here you go, "10,000" (or so) Maniacs and 'Don't Talk' getting us started tonight.

It's not rocket science that Johnny puts the Music Series together in reverse order each week. He had no idea where to go or what to 'start' with (since this is song #3 technically). Lo and behold look what came bouncing out of the iTunes catalog sounding all fresh and good from a 1984 vintage.

The Kinks and 'Do It Again' sending you bouncing on your way out the door tonight.

New Jersey State Senate leader Steve Sweeney thinks with Jersey City doing nothing but taking money from the rest of the state being an Abbott District since forever and should start paying for our own schools with the abatements Mayor Fulop can't stop giving out (One coming next week).

Mayor Fulop, via spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill disagrees (vehemently):

"While it took the senate president a week to write this letter and forward it to the press, the mayor is more than happy to debate (the) senate president on this at any time, without him being surrounded by an army of staff to draft memos," Morrill said.

To wit, this response from Sweeney's people:Sweeney spokesman Richard McGrath said the letter "must have hit a nerve to elicit such a defensive reaction."
Itchy and Scratchy, using surrogates in the battle for who is the second most self-important Democrat behind likely nominee for governor Phil Murphy, are however battling over a serious issue. Let's dig down.

Mayor Fulop has never met an abatement he wouldn't support. His developer friends are getting rich while we the taxpayers pay more. Always plenty of do-re-mi for ridiculous, short-sighted and unnecessary abatements but none for Jersey City to put forward to supporting itself school-wise. Sweeney knows this is a winning issue around New Jersey. Fulop (and apparently Morrill) will be playing defense. This issue really nags outstate. JC gets all the new building and give money (and loans) to developers but refuse (over many mayors) to get off the state school teat.

Last September Mayor Fulop said he'd be open to some kind of revenue sharing but certainly not as much as the 5% Bayonne just put in place for similar deals. Trouble is Fulop won't give any concrete numbers as to what he's open to. Another way to stall, like he's done with the re-val, he simply does not want accountability to to truly make Jersey City a first class city by paying for our own schools, you know, something really important.

We hope that Bayonne's 5% PILOT money plan or something like it becomes state law.

He can't wait. A nice juicy steak story early on a Thursday when Johnny has no morning meetings. For now dear readers here is the story we'll be discussing so go give it a read tonight and we'll talk on it on the 'morrow.